Missing
by irish
Summary: When Darien goes missing during an assignment it is a race against time to find him and save his sanity. FINAL CHAPTERS UP
1. Prologue

Missing  
  
This is my first Iman fic. Please be kind!. Also if this has been done before forgive me.  
  
Summery - When Darien goes missing during an assignment it is a race against time to find him and save his sanity.  
  
Content - Drama, violence, the occasional swear word.  
  
Takes place sometime after Going Postal.  
  
Spoilers for Going Postal and maybe some other episodes  
  
Rating - R   
  
Disclaimer - The characters Darien Fawkes, Bobby Hobbes, The Official, Eberts, Claire, Alex belong to Stu Segall Productions and The Sci Fi Channel. Cristelle and Bernard are characters made up by me. (irish - January 2002)  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Darien shifted uncomfortably in the position he was in. He couldn't breathe properly. The air was stifling and his head felt heavy. He tried to move his arms but realised they were tied around his back. He couldn't move his legs either. He then realised there was some sort of a hood over his head. His mouth was dry and a feeling of nausea built up inside him. He tried to get into a sitting position but a wave of nausea hit him. He tried to shout, yell but no words came. He fell back down again.  
  
"He's conscious," the woman said to the man standing behind her. They were looking through a glass window into a small room. They watched as Darien started to struggle again.  
"Good," the man replied. "He's been out for two days. Start the program," The man looked at his watch and then left the room.  
The woman took one more look in the window and then unlocked the door into the room.  
  
Darien heard the door open. He turned his head to where the sound came from.  
"Who's there?" he asked. His voice sounded different. It sounded like it didn't belong to him. It was croaky and his throat felt like sandpaper.  
The woman said nothing at first. She watched as Darien struggled some more.  
"What the hell is going on?" he asked.  
"Good to see you awake Darien," the woman finally said folding her arms.  
"Who the hell are you?" Darien demanded.  
"Doesn't matter," the woman said with a small smile.  
"The hell it does," Darien rasped.  
"What's important is that you co-operate with us," she replied.  
"Go to hell," replied Darien.  
The woman laughed and then turned to the door. She took one last look at Darien and then left the room.  
  
Darien lay in the same position for a while. He tried to recall where he had heard the woman's voice before. Somehow it felt familiar to him but he couldn't place. His head throbbed but he could feel the stab of pain from the gland above the throbbing as it told him he would soon need the counteragent. He lay on the floor and recalled the events which led up to this.  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 -   
  
"Hey, Check this out," Darien said to Bobby as they did some surveillance on a suspect wanted for money laundering. Darien handed the binoculars over to Hobbes. They were both sitting in Bobby's van across the road from a beachfront house. Bobby had a pair of headphones hanging around his neck.  
"What am I supposed to be looking at here?" Bobby asked.  
"The cute chick in the blue dress," Darien replied. Bobby grabbed the binoculars and scanned the area.  
"I don't see any chick in a blue dress," he grumbled as Darien laughed.  
"There wasn't. I was bored. Thought I would liven things up," Darien said with a grin.  
"Fawkes, Surveillance is a serious business," Bobby said bringing one of the headphones up to his ear.  
"It's boring. The guy comes out. Buys a newspaper. Goes back in. Calls his dentist. Comes back out. Gets a coffee. Reads the newspaper. Goes back..."  
"All right Fawkes. I get the idea," Bobby said interrupting his partner's rant.  
"I mean. How much more boring a life can you lead," Darien said rubbing his temples. "Besides I have a headache."  
"You're what? I thought you only got a shot this morning?" Bobby said looking at his partner with concern.  
"Not one of those headaches. Normal common garden-variety headache. So The Keeper told me anyway," replied Darien.  
"Common garden variety headache!" repeated Bobby keeping an eye on the house.  
"Yeah. That's what she called it," replied Darien. "She said she didn't think it had to do with the gland. That all I need do to is take it easy. Can you imagine that? If I went to The Official and told him that I had a non-QSM headache and needed time off. Coming to think of it I do need some time off. Do you think he will give it to me?"   
"I don't think so partner. I think you need to be seriously injured or dead to get time off. Do you know I haven't had a vacation in..." Bobby went off on a rant about not getting any time off. Darien took up the binoculars again.   
"Hey now there's a cute chick," he said watching as a woman walked toward the suspect's house.  
"No start that again," Bobby said.  
"No seriously. Phew...She IS a babe," Darien said.  
"Let's see," Bobby said grabbing the binoculars. "She's hot."  
They watched as their suspect let the woman in. Bobby had the headphones back on his head. He chuckled after a while.  
"What?" Darien asked as Bobby kept laughing. "What?"  
"They're doing it, man," Bobby laughed.  
"Doing what?" asked Darien not really wanting to know the answer.  
"They are having sex," Bobby chuckled.  
Darien tried to grab the headphones from Bobby but Bobby took them off.  
"It's their personal business," Bobby said.  
"Well I'm not waiting around for them to finish. I'm going back to the office. This is a waste of time," Darien said. Bobby nodded and started up the van.  
  
"I'm telling you man. JFK and Lincoln died a hundred years apart. Lincoln died in 1863. JFK died in 1963..." Bobby said to Darien as they walked through the Agency's hallways.  
"That's just a coincidence," Darien replied stopping outside The Official's office.   
"Coincidence or not. Here's another..." Bobby started to say but stopped short inside the office when he saw The Official glaring at him.  
"What are you two going on about now?" The Official asked gruffly.  
"Well sir Hobbesy here thinks there is a weird connection between..."   
"I don't want to hear about," barked The Official. Eberts was hovering over the Official's shoulder.  
"It really is fascinating, sir," Bobby said with a wry smile. He looked over at Darien who was sitting in the chair in front of the Official's desk.  
"You sat down?" asked Bobby.  
"What?" asked Darien.  
"You sat down without him telling you to," replied Bobby.  
"He doesn't have to tell me to sit down. I sat down because I wanted to sit down," replied Darien grinning.  
"You looking for some brownie points or something?" asked Bobby.  
"No I wasn't in the brownies," replied Darien looking at his partner.  
The Official looked at the two men arguing in front of him and sighed in exasperation.  
"Shut up both of you," the official said to them cutting Bobby off in mid sentence. The two men looked at each other and smirked.  
"Did you get anything from your surveillance this afternoon?" he asked.  
"A headache," muttered Darien trying to avoid The Official's glare.  
"Well sir. From our observation we observed that the suspect was observed leading a very boring life," Bobby said.  
"A very boring life," repeated Darien nodding in agreement.  
"There is nothing to suggest from the said observation that he is involved in money laundering. The lead we got was a bum one," Bobby said.  
"So you learned nothing," The Official said.  
"That's not quite true sir. The said suspect had a visitor," Bobby said.  
"A lady visitor," Darien said looking at Bobby who sniggered.  
"And?" asked The Official.  
"They were doing the old horizontal limbo, sir," Bobby said.  
The Official sighed and then stood up to look out the window. He turned back around to look at Bobby and Darien.  
"The Department wants us to get this guy," he eventually said.  
"Oh really and which Department is this then?" asked Darien with a small laugh. Bobby sniggered as well.  
"You know which Department. Any more of your nonsense and I'll suspend the both of you," the Official almost shouted. This was like dealing with a pair of teenagers he thought to himself. "I want you both back out there now." The Official pointed his finger out the window.  
"Ah, right chief," Darien grumbled as he stood up. Bobby looked at The Official and then followed Darien out the door muttering under his breath.  
  
"A," Bobby said as the two men sat in the van watching the house again.  
"What?" asked Darien keeping his eyes on the house.  
"It's a game. You go down the alphabet and you have to say an animal which corresponds with that letter. 3 points of you get it right. 0 points if you don't," replied Bobby.  
Darien looked at his partner thinking he was mad and rolled his eyes.  
"Come on. It will keep us occupied," Bobby said as he turned up the volume on the headphones.  
"Hobbes, Do you think you could think of something more, Oh I don't know adult, to discuss," Darien said.  
Bobby sighed. "I don't think his lady friend is still there,"  
"Is anyone there?" asked Darien.   
"I don't hear anything," replied Bobby looking out his van window.  
"Well I don't see anything," Darien said getting out of the van.  
"Where are you going?" asked Bobby.  
"To do a bit of invisible recon, my friend," Darien said. He made sure there was no one around and then he quicksilvered as he crossed the road. He was just at the front door to the beach house when he heard a car coming up the driveway. He watched as the man they were watching and the woman who visited him earlier climb out of the car and walk to the front door.  
"Do you think it's working, Bernard?" the woman asked.   
"I don't know Cristelle," Bernard replied opening the front door. Bernard paused at the front door and looked across the street to where the van is parked.  
"I have a feeling it may be though," Bernard said as he went in. Darien just about made it through the front door before it shut.   
"Why?" Cristelle asked. Bernard looked at her and put his index finger to his mouth. He went into the lounge room and looked out the front window. He had a clear view of the van. Cristelle followed him. Bernard then went over to the stereo. He selected an opera CD and put it on. He turned the music up to the maximum level.  
Out in the van Bobby jumped with the sound of the opera coming through the headphones.  
"Goddamn it," he said taking off the headphones. He rubbed his ears trying to get the ringing sound out.  
  
Inside the house Darien watched as Bernard went over to a cupboard. Bernard opened it. Darien looked in disbelief as the cupboard revealed a small room filled with all sorts of guns and ammunition.  
"This is what it's about," Bernard said.  
Darien looked around for a way out of the house. He saw that the door to the beach was open. He walked slowly towards the door. As soon as he was on the beach he let the quicksilver flake off him as he ran to the van.   
"Let's get the hell out of here," he said as he jumped into the van.  
"What? What's going on? Apart from the fact that my eardrums are nearly busted," Bobby said switching on the engine.  
"Guns, man. And lots of 'em. He has enough to start an army," replied Darien looking back as Bernard came out of the house. The van tore off down the road with the breaks squealing. Bernard grinned when he saw the van take off.  
"Is that them?" Cristelle asked coming out of the house.  
"Yes," Bernard replied. "The Official must be taking it seriously if he sends his two top men." Bernard went back into the house.  
"So the plan is in motion then," Cristelle said smiling.  
  
"Chief, I saw enough guns and ammo in that house that warrants the FBI down there," Darien told The Official.  
"Fawkes. I can't get the FBI in," replied The Official.   
"Why not?" asked Darien. He looked over at Bobby who shrugged.  
"You were in the house illegally," replied The Official looking through the report.  
"I was invisible," Darien said.  
"That may be so but it was still illegal," The Official said standing up.  
"What?"  
"I asked you two to watch the suspect. That meant outside. In the Van. With no listening equipment. The job did not require you to use the quicksilver," The Official said throwing the file on the table.  
Darien laughed. The Official glared at him. "This is no laughing matter Fawkes," he said.  
"That's a crock of shit," Darien said getting angry.  
"Fawkes, anymore of that and you'll be suspended," The Official said.  
Bobby looked over at his partner who looked like he was about to rip The Official's head off.  
"Hey Partner, calm down," Bobby said. Darien looked at Bobby.  
"Do you think there is something else going on here?" Darien asked Bobby. Bobby nodded.  
"Yeah. Thought so from the moment we got the assignment. Chief what the hell is going on?" asked Bobby.  
The Official sighed and opened his briefcase. He opened it and took out a manila envelope.   
"This is strictly confidential. It doesn't leave this room, " he said handing the envelope to Bobby. Bobby opened the envelope and looked through the contents. Bobby sighed and looked up with a worried expression on his face.  
"Is this for real?" he asked.  
"Yes," replied The Official as Bobby handed the file over to Darien.  
"So what now?" asked Bobby.  
"I want you two to stay on the assignment. I'm also going to brief Agent Monroe," The Official said taking the envelope back of Darien and putting it back in his briefcase.  
Darien and Bobby looked at each other and stood up. "Stay alert," The Official said as they left the room.  
Darien and Bobby were silent for a while as they walked down to the street. They met Alex coming in.   
"What's up with you two? You both look like you lost a dollar and found a cent," Alex said when she saw their faces.  
"Oh. The Chief wants to see you," replied Darien.  
"I know. I got the call. I'll see you guys later," replied Alex and went off in the direction of her office.  
"Are you going home?" Bobby asked.  
"Yeah. I'm beat. I need to get some sleep," replied Darien.  
"Ok meet you outside you tomorrow usual time," Bobby said walking off.  
"Hey," Darien called after him. Bobby turned and saw the expression on Darien's face.  
"What?" asked Bobby but Darien said nothing at first.  
"Nothing," he eventually said. Bobby watched as Darien drove off.  
  
Darien took his keys out of his pocket as he walked up to his apartment. He was about to put the key in the lock when he noticed the door was slightly open. He looked around but saw no one. He quicksilvered as he pushed the door open. He went inside and looked around but there seemed to be nothing out of place in his apartment. As he closed the door he let the quicksilver flake off him. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck and he blacked out.  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks very much for the positive feedback.   
  
Chapter 2 -   
  
"So where is he?" Alex asked as they waited in the van for Darien the following day.  
"What are you asking me for?" Bobby asked looking at his watch for the fifth time in 10 minutes.  
"I thought you guys lived in each other's pockets," Alex said as she placed a gun clip in her gun.  
"Partner's always look out for each other, Monroe. Keep that in mind," replied Bobby as he recalled the time when Darien refused to accept that he had snapped during that post office assignment.   
"This is irresponsible," Alex said in annoyance. She looked at her watch and sighed.  
"Do you think something...?" Bobby started to say. Alex looked at him sharply.  
"Do I think what?" she asked.  
"Do you think that maybe something happened to him?" asked Bobby.  
"No I just think he's irresponsible. Probably over slept or something," replied Alex.   
"I don't think so. There's something wrong," Bobby said.  
"That's your paranoia taking over," smirked Alex.  
"No. I've had a bad feeling about this case ever since The Official decided to let us in on it. We better get over there," Bobby said starting the van.  
"The only thing we'll find over there is probably him still asleep in bed," Alex said.  
"Or in QSM," replied Bobby.  
Alex looked at Bobby and saw that Bobby really was worried about Darien. She had never seen Darien in Quicksilver Madness but from what she had heard it was pretty scary.  
  
They pulled up outside Darien's apartment. With every sense on alert Bobby and Alex walked up to his apartment. Alex put her hand in her pocket. Feeling the cold steel of her gun she felt somewhat reassured.  
"Hey Fawkes. Wakey, wakey," Bobby said knocking on the window. They both then walked around to the door. The door was slightly ajar. Bobby and Alex immediately withdrew their guns and entered Darien's apartment.  
"Darien," called Alex looking around the apartment. Bobby was nervous. He was fully expecting to see an insane red eyed person any minute. He then realised he should have brought the counteragent with him if Darien was in Quicksilver Madness. He looked into Darien's bedroom. The bed looked like it hadn't been slept in. He turned around and saw Alex standing in the middle of the living room.  
"He's not here. His bed hasn't been slept in," Bobby said looking extremely worried.  
Alex took out her cell phone and dialled a number. "Claire. Has Darien checked in with you today?" she asked.  
"No. I thought he would be out with you and Bobby on that case today. Is there anything wrong?" Claire asked as she prepared the counteragent solution.  
"Well Darien never showed up this morning. Bobby and I are over at his place now and there's no sign of him," replied Alex watching as Bobby flipped through Darien's CD collection.  
Claire stopped what she was doing. "You guys may have just missed him in transit," she said trying to be optimistic.  
"I hope so. If he turns up there tell him Bobby and I are gone to interview a witness," replied Alex. She said bye and hung up.   
"What did she say?" asked Bobby.  
"He hasn't turned up there," replied Alex putting away her cell phone.  
"Oh great. We have a Quicksilver Mad Agent on the loose. What are we going to do?" Bobby said running his hand over his baldhead sitting on the couch.  
"Bobby, we don't know that Darien has gone QSM. We just have to hope that he turns up. He probably just forgot to close the door after him," Alex said softly. Bobby sighed and stood up.   
"I have a bad feeling about this Alex," he said. He walked over towards the front door. He stood on something. He bent down and picked it up. It looked like part of a syringe.  
"Hey take a look at this," He said to Alex handing it to Alex. Alex held it up to the light and saw that there was some liquid in it. She sniffed it. "We better get Claire to analyse this," she said.  
  
Claire looked through the microscope. She had done some basic tests on the substance Bobby had found. Bobby, Alex and The Official waited as she ran the tests. She looked up at the three with a troubled look on her face.  
"What?" asked Bobby.  
"It's a tranquilliser. A very powerful one at that. It has the capability of knocking you out for several days," Claire said.  
Bobby and Alex looked at each other. "I knew I had a bad feeling about this," Bobby said. He started to pace up and down the Keep.  
"Bobby. There's no need to panic about this," The Official said trying to keep his own worry from showing.  
"I don't believe you just said that, Chief," Bobby said stopping his pacing to stare at his boss.  
"I'm not going to call anyone else in on this. It obviously has something to do with Bernard," the Official said.  
"Of course it does," Bobby said sarcastically.  
"How much time does he have?" The Official asked turning to look at Claire.  
"Well he got a shot yesterday morning," replied Claire.  
"How long was he invisible for?" The Official asked Bobby.  
"10- 15 minutes," replied Bobby.  
"Ok assuming he hasn't used any quicksilver since how long does he have before he needs the counteragent?" asked The Official.  
"Assuming he hasn't used any quicksilver since yesterday I would say 4 days. But if he has used the quicksilver I wouldn't want to hesitate a guess," replied Claire.  
"I want you guys to find him. And stay on the assignment," The Official said turning to back to Bobby and Alex.   
"Can we not drop the case and work on looking for Fawkes?" asked Bobby.  
"No. This is connected," replied The Official. He turned and walked out the door of the Keep.  
"Come on," Alex said walking out. Bobby stared after her for a couple of minutes and then followed her out.  
  
TBC 


	4. Chapter3

Chapter 3  
  
Cristelle walked into the room. Darien heard the noise and turned his head towards the noise.  
"Is that you again?" he asked.  
"Yes," replied Cristelle.   
"Do you think you could take this thing off my head? I'm finding it hard to breathe," Darien said.  
"No," Cristelle replied.  
"Well could you at least untie my arms and legs. I am getting serious muscle cramp," complained Darien. He wondered at what stage his tattoo was. He decided he wouldn't mind going quicksilver mad at this time.  
Cristelle smiled and then said "No."  
"Listen Lady. I don't who the hell you think you are but you better let me go soon," he shouted.  
"I can't," replied Cristelle. She took a syringe out of her pocket and made sure there was no air bubbles in it. She walked over to Darien.  
"Who do you work for? Are you from Chrysalis? Is that it?" Darien asked. He felt the needle going into his arm and he tried to struggle but the tranquilliser knocked him out again.  
  
Darien felt the nausea building up inside him again when he became conscious a couple of hours later. He tried to move again but found his legs and arms were still tied.   
"I see you are awake," Cristelle said. She was sitting on a small chair with her arms crossed.  
"You again," replied Darien.  
"I've considered your requests," Cristelle said standing up to walk over to Darien.  
"Oh yeah," Darien said. Cristelle pulled the hood of Darien's head. It took a couple of minutes for Darien's eyes to readjust to the light. He blinked several times and looked around. Cristelle came to his vision. He recognised the slim blonde woman as the one that was with Bernard yesterday.  
"You," he said. Cristelle walked back to her seat and smiled.  
"Yes," she replied.  
"What the hell do you want?" Darien asked.  
"I can't answer that yet," replied Cristelle.  
Darien stared at the woman. "Do you think I could use the bathroom. I really gotta go," he asked.   
"I'm sure you are able to hold it," replied Cristelle.  
"Well then you will be cleaning the mess up," Darien said.  
"OK," Cristelle said. She got up and helped Darien to his feet. She loosened the ties on Darien's legs. She took out a gun and held it to his back. Darien stumbled as she pushed him out the door.  
"Hey take it easy," he complained. They came to the bathroom. On the way to the cubicle Darien caught a look at himself in a mirror. He had two days stubble on his face and his hair looked terrible. The hood had flattened his hair.   
Cristelle pushed him into the cubicle while still pointing her gun at him and holding the door open. Darien stood silently for a minute waiting for Cristelle to leave.  
"You're gonna have to untie my hands," he said eventually.  
"Excuse me," asked Cristelle.  
"How do you think I am going to ... you know...unless you are going to do it for me," Darien said getting irritated.  
Cristelle sighed and untied his hands. Darien rubbed his wrists and glanced at the tattoo. It was half-red and half-green. He knew he was going to need the counteragent soon. He saw that Cristelle was still standing behind him.  
"Do you think you could close the door or even better leave the bathroom. I can't go when I know people are listening," Darien said looking at the wall in front of him. There was a vent on the wall. He figured he could just about reach it to open it.  
"No," replied Cristelle. Suddenly her cell phone rang. She closed the door to the cubicle and answered her phone.   
Darien immediately quicksilvered and reached over to open the vent. He stayed in the cubicle till Cristelle came back.  
"Ok. I think you are done now," she said opening the door. She gasped when she saw that Darien was gone. The vent cover sat on the top of the cistern.  
"Damn it," she yelled and pulled out her cell phone and dialled a number.  
"Bernard. He's gone," she said into the cell phone.  
"What the hell you mean he's gone?" demanded Bernard.  
"He got out through the vent," replied Cristelle.  
"How could you let this happen?" shouted Bernard pressing buttons on his computer screen to seal the exits.  
"I don't know," replied Cristelle leaving the bathroom.  
  
Still quicksilvered Darien left the bathroom. He had untied his legs and ran down the hallway. He came to an exit door. He tried it and found it was locked.   
"Damn," he muttered. He saw a panel beside the exit door and opened it. Using past knowledge from his life as a thief he was able to short wire the circuit. As soon as he pushed the exit door open an alarm sounded.  
"Aw crap," he said to himself as he ran through the door.  
  
Bernard and Cristelle heard the alarm sound and looked at the monitors. They couldn't see anything.  
"Wait a minute," Bernard said seeing a door open on the monitor. "Switch to the emergency thermal lighting," he continued as Cristelle pushed some more buttons on the computer. They watched as the emergency thermal lighting came on. Darien's outline could be clearly seen. Bernard picked up his cell phone and ordered someone to Darien's location.  
"How did he...?" asked an amazed Cristelle listening to the orders Bernard gave over the cell phone.  
"There were rumours about a secret project circulating when I worked at the agency. I guess it came to life," replied Bernard watching as two armed guards with thermal goggles found Darien in the stairwell. He watched as Darien punched one of the guards out. The other guard hit Darien in the head making him fall against the wall knocking him out.  
  
Darien came around again after several minutes. He discovered he was lying on a bed in the same small room. His arms and legs were handcuffed to each of the bedposts. His tattoo showed him that the snake had 3 segments of green left. He grimaced as he felt the stab of pain from the gland. He knew it wouldn't be long before he was in stage five of Quicksilver Madness.  
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" he yelled in anger.  
Suddenly a loud piercing noise was emitted from a speaker that Darien hadn't noticed before. Darien screamed in pain. It felt like the noise was coming from inside his head. He closed his eyes to shut the pain out. The noise stopped almost as soon as it began. Cristelle walked into the room. She was carrying a tray of food and a glass of water.  
"You really shouldn't have tried to escape," she told him.   
"Oh you think?" Darien said sarcastically. "Why don't you tell me what is going on?"  
Cristelle smiled. "You should have something to eat."  
"I have a better idea. Why don't you let me go," replied Darien.  
"That's not possible, Darien," replied Cristelle setting the tray down on the ground.  
"Ok I have another question," Darien said. "What are you doing with a creep like Bernard?"  
"Bernard is only looking for what is owed to him," replied Cristelle.  
"And you think by blackmailing the agency and holding me hostage is going to help?" asked Darien.   
"It might," replied Cristelle. Darien grimaced from the pain that came from the gland. He shot a look at the tattoo again and saw that there were only two green segments left.  
"I know about your...special gift," Cristelle said.  
"You won't think it's a gift when you see me go insane," replied Darien. Cristelle laughed. "I'm serious. I have less than a day to go before I go completely wacko."  
  
TBC  
  
I'll try and post the rest at the weekend or early next week :-) 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
"We are gonna have to retrace his steps," Alex said to Bobby as they waited for Claire to make up some counteragent. The Official went back to his office. He had given Eberts some time off while this business was going on. He wanted as few as people as possible to know what was gong on. Eberts would just have been annoying, asking questions like an annoying little kid. He was also calling hourly to ask when he could go back to work.  
The Official sat down at his desk. He was reaching for his briefcase when his telephone rang.  
"Yes," he said into the mouthpiece in a terse voice.  
"Sir, it's me. I was wondering when you needed me back at work," Eberts said on the other end of the phone.   
The Official sighed and said "When I say so, Eberts."  
"Are you sure you don't want me to come back a little early?" whined Eberts.  
"Yes," replied The Official.  
"Are you sure?" asked Eberts.  
"Shut up, Eberts," replied The Official hanging up the phone.  
The phone rang again straight away. The Official sighed and picked up the phone.  
"Eberts. I told you not to come back," he shouted down the phone.  
"Still shouting at your employees, I see," a different voice said over the phone.  
"Bernard," The Official said recognising the voice.   
"You got it in one, chief," Bernard said.  
"What do you want?" The Official asked getting up from his chair. He walked to the door and opened it. He saw Alex and Bobby walking toward him. He motioned them to come in. Alex and Bobby went into the office. Bobby picked up the other line and started to order a phone trace.  
"You know what I want," replied Bernard watching Darien through the glass window. He could hear Darien saying the alphabet and naming an animal with the letter.  
"You think you deserve it?" asked The Official seeing the thumbs up from Bobby indicating the trace had begun. Bobby brought his two hands together and then moved them apart indicating that The Official needed to keep Bernard on the line long enough for the trace to get an address.  
"I do. I have one of your agents here. If you don't meet my demands by noon tomorrow he's a dead man," replied Bernard.   
"You were a good agent, Bernard. What happened?" The Official asked watching as Bobby put two fingers up indicating that the trace needed two more minutes.  
Bernard laughed. "You got a trace going, Chief?" he asked.  
"No," replied The Official.  
"My demands stand. I'll be in touch," he said and hung up the phone.   
"Damn. Just another 45 seconds and we would have got him," Bobby exclaimed in disappointment.   
"Did we even get a general location?" asked The Official. Bobby shook his head.   
"He had a scrambler on the line," he said.  
"Dammit," exclaimed The Official.  
"He said he'd be in touch before Noon tomorrow right?" Alex said as an idea formed in her head.  
"Right," replied The Official and Bobby.  
"Tell him you will meet him somewhere to discuss it. We can have SWAT agents surround the area. Take him down," she explained.  
"Sounds like a good idea," replied The Official.  
"It does but there's only one problem," Bobby said. "Fawkes may not have till Noon tomorrow."  
  
Bernard hung up the phone. He watched Darien through the glass. Darien was still playing the alphabet animal game to himself except he was stuck on H. Cristelle had gone home long ago. He was sorry that he had asked Cristelle to go along with the plan but he needed her to help him carry it out. Bernard checked the monitors and then looked back at Darien. Darien looked like he was having some sort of seizure. His body was jerking on the bed. Bernard grabbed some of the tranquilliser and ran into the room.   
Darien's seizure had stopped before Bernard had time to give him the tranquilliser. Darien lay still on the bed. His eyes were closed and he was breathing normally. Bernard reached over to check the pulse on Darien's neck. All of a sudden Darien's eyes flew open. Bernard stepped back startled for a minute when he saw how bloodshot Darien's eyes were.  
"Fooled ya, didn't I?" Darien asked twisting his head to look at Bernard.  
"You certainly did," replied Bernard. He tapped the syringe in his hand. "Try anything else and you will get another dose of this and this time you will never wake up."  
"Let me ask you something, Bernard," Darien said staring at the thin bespectacled man with the receding hairline. The pain in his head was worse. He was doing everything in his power to stop himself from going in QSM but it looked like he was going to lose that battle. Maybe Hobbes and the others would find him but he wondered if it would be too late.  
"Ask away," replied Bernard.  
"It's just a little insignificant question really but what do you hope to achieve from this?" asked Darien.  
"Well you know what it is like to be wrongly accused of doing something wrong, I'm sure," Bernard said.  
"If I recall, what you did was wrong. Manufacturing evidence, interfering with witnesses..." replied Darien  
"I didn't deserve to put in the slammer for 12 years," Bernard replied angrily.  
"Well that's what you get breaking the law," Darien said. "And you want to get back at The Official because he testified against you?"  
"I know a lot more about The Official than you do. He's not all lily white in all of this either," Bernard said.  
"I know the Official is...a law onto himself at times..." Darien closed his eyes as he fought the pain in his head. "But what do you want him to do?"  
"I want him to suffer the way I did for the last 12 years," replied Bernard watching Darien closely.  
"You don't know anything about suffering, buddy," said Darien. He shot a glance at his tattoo. There was one segment of green left. "Did you plan your revenge while you were in prison?"  
"I thought about nothing else," admitted Bernard.   
Darien watched as Bernard walked out of the room.   
  
"Has he called back yet?" Bobby asked coming into The Official's office with a cup of coffee.   
"No," replied The Official rubbing his eyes.  
"Miss Monroe sent a SWAT team over to Bernard's house," Bobby said.  
"Good," replied The Official.  
"Sir, if it's not too bold of me to ask," Bobby said knowing he was bound to be chewed out by his boss. The Official stared at his top agent for a couple of seconds.  
"Don't ask," he replied.   
"Yes sir," sighed Bobby. The two men both heard the door open and saw Alex come through the door.  
"The SWAT team went over to the house, sir. They didn't find anything. Not even the armoury Darien was talking about," she said.  
"We should have kept a closer watch on the house," Bobby said looking at his boss again. The Official looked tired and weary.   
"I can't sit here waiting," Bobby said starting to pace the office.  
"We can't do anything till he calls back," Alex said.  
"Yeah while we are not doing anything my partner is going fruity by the minute," replied Bobby wringing his hands together.  
"Well you pacing is not going to help," Alex said in annoyance. "I'm worried just as much as you are."   
The Official watched in distachment as his two agents started to argue about who was worried the most. All of a sudden the phone rang. All three jumped at the sound of the ringing. The Official picked up the phone and Bobby picked up the other line to begin the trace.  
"Well chief. I hope you have considered my requests," Bernard said.  
"I have. I was wondering if you wanted to meet somewher...neutral to discuss it," replied The Official.  
"That would be nice. I have a better idea though," Bernard said.  
"What would that be?" asked The Official watching Bobby as he was getting the call traced.  
"How about a trade?" suggested Bernard.  
"What kind of trade?" asked the Official.  
"Your agent, who doesn't appear to be very well by the way, for your acknowledgement of your involvement in what happened," replied Bernard.  
"I didn't do anything wrong, Bernard," the Official said. Bobby indicated to him that he needed to keep Bernard talking for a little longer.  
Bernard laughed. "Really," he said.  
"Look can we meet somewhere to discuss this?" asked The Official.  
"Ok. How about...the lion enclosure at San Diego Zoo...in one hour," replied Bernard.  
"Ok," replied The Official as Bernard hung up.  
"Well?" The Official asked Bobby.  
"We got him," replied Bobby as he took down the address.  
"Agent Monroe, get a team together to go to San Diego Zoo in an hour," ordered The Official looking at the piece of paper that Bobby handed to him. Alex reached for the phone to get the SWAT team.  
"Can't we just go to the address and get Fawkes out?" asked Bobby.  
"Bernard called from a phone booth down the street. He's double crossed us," replied The Official. "You and Agent Monroe come with me. We're going to the Zoo." With that The Official stood up and walked out of the room. Bobby and Alex followed him.  
  
TBC  
  
Nearly there everyone 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
The Official, Alex and Bobby headed over to the Zoo. Claire wanted to come along but The Official wouldn't let her. The Official stood in front of the lion enclosure looking at the lions as they relaxed in their pool. He looked around. Bobby and Alex stood out of sight behind a hog dog stand. They both had their guns ready. They all wore a wire so they could hear what was going on. Bobby looked around and saw that the SWAT team were in place.   
"I haven't been to the zoo in years," Bobby said to Alex.  
"Oh," replied Alex.  
"Yeah. The monkeys are my favourite," Bobby said with a small smile.  
"Why? Because you look like one," laughed Alex.  
"I don't like it when you insult me," replied Bobby with a sulk.  
"Ssssh," The Official said. Bobby looked over towards the entrance of the zoo. He saw someone walking the lion enclosure.  
"He sent her instead," Bobby said with a sigh.  
"What?" exclaimed Alex and The Official.  
"That's the chick that was with Bernard the other day," replied Bobby.  
"Cristelle," said The Official.  
"Yep that's her," replied Bobby.  
  
Cristelle walked slowly over to the lion enclosure. She was wearing a long coat even though it was very warm out. She noticed that there weren't many people in the Zoo although there were several grounds men working. An SUV drove by with a trailer carrying animal feed. She walked up to The Official.  
"It's good to see you again, Cristelle," The Official said.  
"I wish I could say the same," replied Cristelle putting her hands in the pocket of her coat.  
"Why didn't Bernard come?" asked The Official noting that the SWAT team was ready.  
"He's was too busy. Your agent has lost the plot," replied Cristelle.  
"Why are you doing this Cristelle?" asked The Official with almost fatherly concern.  
"Bernard only wants what is due to him," replied Cristelle subconsciously running her hand down her coat.  
"He got what was due to him when he spent 12 years in prison. Why involve you in this?" asked The Official.  
"I love him. I missed out on 12 years..." replied Cristelle as her face revealed her true feelings.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this," Alex said as she watched Cristelle and The Official talking. "You see the way she is holding herself. I think she may be armed," Alex said.  
  
"Are you armed?" the Official asked.  
Cristelle smiled through her tears and then opened her coat. Strapped to her body were explosives.  
"Are you willing to die for him?" The Official asked not wanting to show his shock.  
  
"Ok move in but be careful she could blow us all to kingdom come," Alex said as she ordered the SWAT team to get ready.  
  
Cristelle turned and started to walk away. Alex jumped out from behind the hot dog stand.  
"Freeze, you're under arrest," she shouted. Cristelle gasped and started to run. Alex ran after her and then jumped on her. They struggled for a couple of minutes but Alex was stronger and restrained her putting her in handcuffs.  
  
Alex and Bobby drove up to an old abandoned school. After several hours of intense questioning by Bobby and Alex Cristelle finally revealed where Darien was being kept hostage.  
"Stay Alert," Bobby warned Alex as they ran to the door of the school with their guns ready.  
"Cover me," Alex said to Bobby as she keyed in the alarm number Cristelle had given them. Alex had the syringe of counteragent in her pocket.  
"Ok you find Bernard and I'll get Darien," Alex said. Bobby said Ok and they went off in different directions.  
Alex crept along the corridor. Every sense was on alert. She came to a door. She looked in the small window and saw Darien lying on the bed still handcuffed to it. She opened the door and walked over to him.   
"Darien," she said softly. Darien responded with a groan. His eyes were closed. Alex checked the pulse on his neck and found that it was strong and bounding. She unlocked the cuffs and helped him sit up in the bed.   
"Darien lean on me," she said helping him stand up. Darien responded with another groan and opened his eyes. Alex gasped in shock when she saw how bloodshot his eyes were.   
"No," she whispered as Darien grinned evilly.  
"Alexandra. You saved me," he hissed as Alex let go of his arm. She kicked herself for not looking at his tattoo first.  
"Darien, I have the counteragent here," she said taking it out. Darien stared at her angrily and then knocked it out of her hand.   
"I don't want it," he sneered. Alex took out her gun and pointed it at Darien.  
"Don't make me shoot you," she shouted. Darien looked at the gun and grabbed it out of her hand. He then put it to her head.  
"No. Alexandra. I'll shoot you first," he whispered cruelly. He cocked the gun. Alex closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She waited for the gun to go off. She opened her eyes again and looked into the bloodshot eyes.   
"Darien, you don't want to do this," she said. She was totally scared. This was like talking to a different person altogether. Someone who looked like Darien but not behaving like the Darien she knew.  
Darien laughed. He knocked Alex to the ground. Alex banged her head against the bed and felt a pain shoot through her neck. She cried out in pain. Darien grabbed her by the throat and sat on her legs so she couldn't move them. Alex started to retch as Darien tightened his grip around her neck. His other hand roamed her body. Groping her breasts and then her crotch. Alex couldn't even knee him in the groin to get him off her.  
"Darien, please," Alex choked.  
"You want this don't you. You want me. I can give it to you," he said in a low tone.  
"Ok Darien. I do. I want you so bad," replied Alex in a seductive tone.   
Darien stopped for a minute. Alex felt his eyes bore into her.  
"No. No. No. I haven't forgotten your five star A rating in seduction. Don't think you can fool me like that," he hissed. Alex looked around and saw the syringe of counteragent lying nearby. She tried to make a grab for it but she couldn't reach it. She saw Bobby coming into the room with a complete look of shock on his face.  
"Get off her, Darien," Bobby said. Darien turned to look at Bobby who had his gun pointed at him.  
"Robert. Good of you to join us," he said. Bobby watched as Alex finally grabbed the syringe of counteragent and plunged it into Darien's neck. Darien groaned and passed out on top of Alex.  
  
TBC 


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
"So Bernard is going back to where he belongs," The Official said as he listened to Bobby's report on arresting Bernard.  
"Yes sir. He will be facing Blackmailing and Kidnapping charges," replied Bobby.  
"I see. And what about Cristelle?" asked The Official.  
"She's been charged as an accessory. She'll have to serve time in the women's pen," Bobby said.  
"Right. Where's Fawkes?" asked The Official.  
"He went to see the Keeper," replied Bobby following his boss out the door and down to the lab.   
"How is he?" Bobby asked Claire.   
"He's fine. There was no allergic reaction between the tranquilliser and the quicksilver," replied Claire.  
"That's not what I meant," Bobby said.   
Claire sighed. "Well he's...the usual after an episode. He feels guilty, remorse..." replied Claire.  
"Where is he now?" asked Bobby.  
"He went to see Alex," replied Claire.  
  
Darien stopped outside Alex's door. He knew he had to apologise to her. He felt ashamed and embarrassed. He was about to knock on the door when the door opened. Alex nearly ran into him. She was wearing a neck brace. The two looked at each other but Darien looked away first dropping his head to the floor.  
"Alex. I came to apologise," he said lifting his head. He couldn't look her in the eye.  
"It's fine, Darien," she said subconsciously feeling the neck brace.  
"God. Did I do that?" he asked.  
"I pulled a ligament," she replied.  
"Alex..." Darien started to say but Alex was already walking down the hallway. He stared after her unhappily. He turned to see Bobby standing behind him.  
"How long were you standing there for?" Darien asked.  
"Not long," replied Bobby.  
Darien was silent for a few minutes as he looked for something to say.  
"You should have put a bullet in me," he said eventually.  
Bobby shook his head. "I couldn't, man." Darien looked at his partner for several minutes.   
"I'm going home," Darien said turning around. Bobby watched as Darien walked down the hallway.  
"Hey you think you need an escort. In case you get kidnapped or somethin'?" Bobby called after him.  
Darien laughed.  
  
"In a fairy tale, don't ask me which one, the princess, I think, is granted three wishes. She had to choose wisely for her three wishes or they would be wasted. Well if I had three wishes they would be (1) to get the gland out of my head, (2) to get the gland out of my head and well... wish number three would be the same as well. That way I can choose wisely and not have any regrets"  
  
The End 


End file.
